Why Is A Trailer Important?

A trailer is an important weapon in the marketing campaign as it lets the audience find out what the film focuses on and it features footage from the actual film. Posters are important in capturing the initial interest of the audience and drawing them into the cinema but they cannot convey the excitement and atmosphere of the film in the same way as a trailer does. This is because a trailer features a combination of moving image and sound which excites the audience. The trailer is vital as it mainly stirs the audiences emotions and gives them a 'flavour' of the film which is impossible through a still image.

Below is an example of a trailer (Insidious 2) in which I personally find effective due to its use of sound and effects which all link to its main storyline. 

At the start of the trailer, there is a point of view shot, which focuses on the father and son happily play fighting each other. Along with this image, the music is slow and soft which yet again symbolises the fact that they are a ‘happy family’ but it foreshadows the upcoming events. Then the music suddenly stops when the wife sees an object moving by its own. This suddenly raises tension, as there is a medium shot of the wife’s reaction to a random figure sitting on the sofa. This is an effective method in a trailer because it lets the audience feel the characters emotion at that specific point. The music suddenly turns tense and we continuously hear sounds like whispers from the ‘unknown’ in the house. Near to the end of the trailer, it shows an over the shoulder shot of the husband in the dark which emphasises the isolated setting. This also makes the audience worried as he may be in danger whilst facing the ‘unknown’.